Zen is the
school of Buddhism which emphasizes the religious practice of meditation. The Buddha taught that Ignorance, created by our greed,
hate, and delusion, prevents us from realizing that we are all enlightened. Zen Buddhism teaches that the practice of sitting in meditation (Jap.: zazen)
directly manifests our inborn enlightenment, our Buddha Nature. In Zen practice, seated
meditation and enlightenment are one. No preliminary training or long preparation is necessary to realize the Way.

Zen Sixth Patriarch
Cutting Bamboo(Ryankai, 13th century)

The
Soto school of Japanese Zen practice was founded in the 13th century by the Zen Master
Eihei Dogen. In his instructions on how to meditate, Dogen writes,

"You should...cease from practice based on intellectual understanding...and learn
the backward step that turns your light inwardly to illuminate your self. Body and mind of
themselves will drop away, and your original face will be manifest....The zazen I speak of
is not learning meditation. It is simply the...gate of repose and bliss, the
practice-realization of totally culminated enlightenment. It is the manifestation of
ultimate reality."

Zen also stresses that the world of enlightenment is the everyday world we all know."Carrying
water and chopping wood are the activities of the Buddha,"and"The
everyday mind is Buddha," are two of the most well known Zen sayings. Zen
realization shows us that we are directly connected to, and dependent on, all living
beings and everything that exists. Compassionate concern for the welfare of others and for
the environment flow naturally from this insight.

Affirmation of Welcome

Embracing diversity, the Chapel Hill Zen Center
expresses the fundamental connection of all beings by welcoming everyone to
the practice of zazen. May all beings realize their true nature.

The Chapel Hill Zen Group came into existence in 1981. It
was formed by a small group of friends who took turns meditating in each other's homes in
the Durham-Chapel Hill area in North Carolina. In December, 1997, the Board of Directors
voted to change the group's legal name to the Chapel Hill Zen Center to reflect the
group's growing membership and more established status. Several members of the original
group practiced at the
San Francisco Zen Center, and
the Center is now formally affiliated with SFZC. The S.F. Zen Center was founded by Shunryu
Suzuki Roshi. Before he died in 1971, Suzuki also founded the first Zen monastery in
America, Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, near Carmel, California. His teaching has been
continued by his American disciples.

The Chapel Hill Zen Center now has a permanent meeting
place at 5322 NC Highway 86, Chapel Hill, 27514 (2.5 miles north of I-40 Exit 266). All meetings are open to the public and everyone is welcome to attend. (The
building has wheelchair access.)
See the schedule posted below for times. Zen meditation instruction and orientation can be given on Tuesday evenings or Sunday
mornings. Please call
(919) 967-0861to make an appointment before
comingfor instruction. The Calendar
has the dates and times of lectures and other events. Click here for
a map. E-mail contact: info@chzc.org

Please wear loose fitting, comfortable clothes. Pants, or skirts that come
below the knee, are appropriate. It is also alright to wear longer shorts
that come to the knee, and short sleeved shirts, but not tank tops or halter
tops. It is traditional to go barefoot in the meditation hall, but it is
alright to wear socks, particularly in cool weather.

Adverse WeatherAs a general rule, if driving may be risky,
donít do it. When it is snowing or sleeting, or if either snow or sleet
is predicted to occur before or during zazen, you can assume that the
zendo will be closed, particularly for 6:00 a.m. zazen.